KIRAN ATMA: Tirthas

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Hinduism - What Is The Status Of The Caribbean Hindu Diaspora?

The West Indies are a group of Caribbean islands having a sizable Hindu diaspora community.

They were sent to the West Indies as indentured agricultural workers, primarily on sugar plantations, as in many other instances, but have now stayed there long enough to become part of the local population.

Hindus have built temples and erected holy places (tirthas) on several of the islands, notably Trinidad, to connect their religious life to their local surroundings.

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Hinduism - What Is The Vishnu Purana?

Vishnu Purana is a Hindu epic that tells the story of Lord Vishnu and his One of the eighteen traditional puranas, which comprised an important genre of smrti texts and housed much of traditional Indian mythology.

The smrtis, or "remembered" texts, were considered less authoritative than the shrutis, or "heard" texts, despite being considered important.

In a nutshell, the shrutis referred to the Vedas, the oldest and most authoritative Hindu religious texts, whereas the smrtis referred to the Mahabharata and Ramayana, as well as dharma literature, the Bhagavad Gita, and the puranas.

The puranas contain a wide range of sacred lore, ranging from mythic tales to ritual instruction to the exaltation of various sacred sites (tirthas) and actions.

The majority of the puranas are sectarian, and this one is focused on Vishnu's warship, as its name implies.

It includes instructions for how, where, and when Vishnu should be worshiped, as well as an exhaustive list of Vishnu's mythic deeds—many of which have become the common mythic currency for many traditional Hindus.

~ Kiran Atma

You may also want to read more about Hinduism here.

Be sure to check out my writings on religion here.

Hinduism - What Is Tarpana?

(“satisfying”) Tarpana is a ceremony of remembrance in which one delivers libations of water to one's ancestors in order to satisfy their thirst.

Tarpana fulfills one of the Five Great Sacrifices, "sacrifice to the ancestors." These five sacrifices are obligatory daily religious observances (nitya karma) for a "twice-born" house holder, that is, a householder who was born into one of India's three "twice born" groups—brahmin, kshatriya, or vaishya—and received the adolescent religious initiation known as the second birth.

Tarpana may also be a one-time religious deed (naimittika karma) that should be done while bathing (snana) at pilgrimage sites (tirthas).

The ritual itself is pretty straightforward.

The performer first bathes in order to become ritually pure, then scoops water into his joined hands and tips his fingers forward to drain the water.

According to some texts, the water should also be mixed with sesame seeds, a component linked with funeral gifts.

Tarpana was regarded a companion ritual to the memorial service known as shraddha, albeit tarpana was done considerably more often as a required daily deed.

One symbolically feeds one's ancestors to satisfy their hunger in the shraddha ceremony, while one gives them water to relieve their thirst in the tarpana rite.